Tennis racket vise



Feb. 2, 1937.

H. w. ROBERTS TENNIS RACKET vIsE Filed Aug.' 23, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ffy' hn o D um we a ol., a

Feb. 2, 1937. H. w. ROBERTS 2,069,735

TENNIS RACKET VISE Filed Aug. 25, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheetl 2 w. ROBERTS 2,069,736

TENNIS RACKET VISE Feb. 2, 1937.

3 SheetS-Sheel'I 3 Filed Aug. 23, 1933 Patented Feb. 2, 1937 TENNIS RACKET VISE Harold W. Roberts, Riverside, Ill., assigner to Thompson Mfg. Co., Chicago, Ill.

Application August 23, 1933, Serial No. 686,389

Claims. (Cl. 273 73) UNITED STATESz PATENT OFFICE ,lo from all sides in weaving in the cross strings.

Another object is to provide a portable vise suitable for restringing the rackets, and to provide a portable vise with which a string puller may Yloeused for pulling the strings and measuring the tension so that the restringing is greatly facilitated, and uniform results may be obtained by inexperienced operators.

Other objects and advantages `will become apparent in the following description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a preferred form of a tennis racket vise embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial plan section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4'is a detail section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a face view of the puller handle showing the tension indicating dial.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of a modied form of the v1se.

Fig. '7 is a section on the lin'e 1 1 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 `is a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 6.

3 Fig. 9 is a plan view of a second modified form of vise and puller.

Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation taken on the line IIJ-'Ill of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a detail view of the puller shown in .40 Fig. 9, with portions of the casing broken away.

Fig. 12 is a section taken on the line |2 |2 of Fig. 11.

In the preferred form, the vise I4 is rotatably mounted on a circular base l5 which may be secured to a bench or other support by bolts I6. The vise is pivoted on a central stud I1 fixedly secured in the base, and a nut |8, threaded on the stud, is provided for locking the vise in rotative positions.

50 The vise |4 comprises a circular base portion |9 on which are cast four upwardly projecting arms 20, arranged at right angles to each other, and on the upper ends of the arms. are mounted a fixed clamp finger 2| for engaging in the base .55 of the frame, and three movable clamp lingers 22 for engaging in the sides and end of the frame. The clamp2| is secured to the rear arm by a bolt 23, and the clamps 24 are secured to their respective arms by horizontally disposed 60 bolts 25 which extend rotatably through a downwardly projecting lug 26, formed on the outer end of the foot 2l of the clamp and through the upper end of the arm 20. The bolt 25 is shouldered at 28 to abut against the outer surface of the arm, and the inner end of the bolt threads through a downwardly projecting lug 29 formed on the inner end of the foot 2l. Thus the clamps 24 rest solidly on the upper ends of the arms, and are guided horizontally as they are drawn outwardly by rotating the adjusting screws 25.

The vise arms 26 are from live to six inches in length so that the space underneath the racket is unobstructed for the hands of the operator in lacing in the cross strings and the oper,- ator may work from any side of the frame. This construction also leaves the outer surface of the racket frame accessible for the insertion of the awls vfor holding the tension of the strings as .the work progresses,

For pulling the strings and determining the tension, I provide means for mounting a puller 36 directly on the vise instead of on the base as has formerly been the practice, so that the strain in pulling the strings does not pass through the center bolt and tend to rotate and tip the vise. YAround the lower portion of the vise |4 is a rail 3|, cast integrally with the vise, and the puller 3D has a foot 32 having hooks 33 for engaging under the lower edge of the 4rail.Y A latch 34 is pivotally mounted on the puller for gripping the angular upper edge ofthe rail to hold the puller in position. The latch is urged downwardly by a spring 35, and it has a thumb piece 36 so that the puller .may be readily engaged and disengaged in any position around the frame of the racket.

On the foot 32 is cast a bracket 38 in which is rotatably mounted a horizontally disposed shaft 39. On one end of the shaft is pinned a drum 40, which may'have a rubber facing 4| for winding the strings; and on the opposite end of the shaft are rotatably mounted a shell 42 and a iianged member 43 which is rigidly connected to the shaft by a pin 44 .which is inserted through suitable apertures '45 inthe shell 42. The shell and flange member are vyieldably connected by a double coiled spring 46 having a central loop 4l in which the end of the pin 44 is engaged, thus connecting the one end of the spring to the shaft 39. The straight ends 48 of the spring are hooked into the shell 42. as best shown in Fig. 4.

On the inner end of the shell 42 is pinned a ratchet wheel 50 which is engaged by a gravity operated pawl 5| to hold the shell 42. The pawl v into contact with the ratchet wheel, which also serves as a thumb piece for disengaging the pawl.

Y An index nger 53 is fixed to the outer edge of fixed in the face of the member 43, with very little tension in the spring 46. Y

In operation, the puller 30 is clamped in posi- .non on the rail 3| adjacent the holo through the desired tension is obtained the awl is forced which the next string is to be threaded. i The string is then drawn through the hole and attached to the drum, the drum being below the frame of the racket sothat the string will be pulled downwardly at an angle so that the awl can-be inserted. The shell or handle 42 is then grasped with one Vhand and rotated clockwise,

.as viewed in Fig. 2. As the string is being tightened up the shaft and shell will rotate together with the finger 53 incontaci'fwithk the stop pin, and continue to moveV together an indefinite amount until the string is tight. Then further rotation of Vthe shell winds the spring 42, and the amount of relative movement between the shaftV and the shell is indicated on the dial 54 which is marked to show the pull on the string in pounds. The spring is designed to give the maximum desired tension in less than one turn and before the iinger 53 strikes the opposite side of the pin 55. This avoids the necessity of counting the number of times the shell is rotated and thus avoids confusion. Backward movement of the shell isstopped byL the pawl 5|; and when into the string hole. 'I'he pawl is then released and the string detached. To pull the next string,

from the opposite side of the frame, the puller may be shifted around on the rail, or the puller may be taken off and held while the vise is rotated.

In the form shown in Figs. 6, '7, and 8, theV A The head isprovided with a billard 58 and clamps 59ffor mounting the racket 60 on the upper side thereof, and around the outer edge of the head `is, a circular iiange 5| on which are slidably Vmountedrtwo pullers 62 forV pulling the strings from opposite sides ofthe head. The pullers may be geared, as shown, and comprise a bracket 63 which hooks over the flange and has two spaced hooks 64 which engage in an undercut ring 65 formed on the under side of the head, so that the pullers are shiftable. around on the flange, and are held in place by friction when a stringis being pulled. A drum 66 is keyed to a vertical Vshaft 61 which Vextends rotatably through the bracket 63, andon the lower end of the shaft are keyed a ratchet wheel 68 and a spur gear 69. In the bracket and spaced inwardly from the shaft 61 is xedly secured a stud shaft 10, on which is rotatably. mounted a disc 1|, having a pinion 12 secured thereto which meshes with the gear 69. A shell 13 which serves as a handle is rotatably mounted on theshaft'10 in cooperative relation with thedisc 1|. A pin 14 is inserted through an aperture 15 in the shell, through thehub 15 of the disc and into .a circumferential groove 11 in the shaft 19, for holding the disc in position; and the disc is connected to the shell by a double coil spring 18 which loops over the pin` 14, and has-its outer ends 19 hooked into the shell 13. Y

be pivoted directly to the tion.

and upwardly from a relatively small base 802` so that the space under the vise is'accessible from all sides. On the upper ends of the arms,

clamps 8|, 82, 83, and 84 are mounted for griphandle 88 formed thereon. On .the disc 86 isV rotatably mountedy an angular ring shaped shell 89 which isnotched inconformity-with `the .disc

:86, and encloses a spaceV in which is contained .a

curved helical spring 90 which is compressed between a lug 94 formed in the shell, and a lug 92 in themember 86. On the outer surface of the Shen se are provided loeokets` 95, etV to which the' string is attached. In` this form, the vise may bench ortable bya bolt 91. Y Y

Having Ythus described my invention, I claim; 1. vA tennis racketvise having means for rigidly clamping the racket, a rail `extending around the vise below the level of a racket therein,qa

2. In combination, a tennis racket vise having a rail larger-than a Yracket extending around and below the vise, a string puller having a hook for engaging the under side of the rail, and a yieldablelatch mounted on the-puller for engaging the upper side of the rail so that the pull-V er may beV readily shifted along the rail.

3. In combination, a tennis racket visehaving Vupwardly extending arms for internally engaging and mounting a. racket, a continuousv rail extending below and outwardly beyond a racket leaving a free working space around Vand under a racket frame, and a string puller slidabl'y,

mounted on the rail and having a latched portion yieldably engaged therewith vand shiftable to different positions around a racket frame.

4. A tennis racket vise comprising a base, Ya

vise rotatable on the? base and having upwardly frame in thevise to permit free access thereto.

5. In a tennis racket vise, means for rigidly clamping a racket frame, a rail extending below the vise, a string vpuller having a hook to engage the under side of the rail, a spring pressed latch mounted on the puller to yieldingly engage the upper side of the rail, and a thumb piece on the latch in position to be readily engaged by an operator to release the latch for slidably moving Athe puller along therail.

HAROLD w. ROBERTS.`V 

